The article basically says this is second year in a row that the yield was higher than expected. Yield is the number of people that accept admission. It’s a numbers game of chance - for example (and in no way is this example meant to be accurate in proportion but merely a clarification of the term “yield”), say 200 people apply. If they give 100 offers of admission, they would expect only 50 to accept/attend Maryland, and 50 to accept admission at other schools they applied to. However, instead of only 50 people accepting, they got 75. If they got 60, they could still accommodate everyone as planned, but because they got 75, they had to come up with a temporary solution to the housing needs.
So, the article is reporting higher than expected yield and how Maryland had to come up with a creative solution for housing. Maryland is not the only school in the article that had to do this to keep their promise of housing for all incoming freshman that accept it by the deadline. The only schools mentioned are Maryland schools, because it is a local paper. However, converting doubles into triples or lounges into triples is not unique to the University of Maryland, nor to many other schools facing the same situation. What the article fails to address is that there is construction/renovation of some older dorms, which means they are currently not available, but will be in the future. Here’s the link for info on the renovations http://reslife.umd.edu/hsp/sites/ and if you look here, you will see what they have in mind http://reslife.umd.edu/hsp/transforming/ and on this page http://reslife.umd.edu/hsp/goals/# you will see they specifically cite a reduction in triple and quad housing as a goal.
No, it does NOT happen regularly! If it happens one year, it’s a fluke, if it happens again (as it did this year), it may be the beginning of a pattern that I would think (PERSONAL GUESS ONLY, NOT FACT!!!) MAY start to affect the number of admissions they offer. Maryland’s popularity is continuing to grow. It’s a great school (and yes, as both an alum and mother of a two-time alum - son did undergrad and grad school there- I am a bit biased!)
Honestly, I wouldn’t let it dissuade you from applying as I am sure they will address this. Be sure to apply by November 1 priority deadline for best shot at admission and to be eligible for special programs/merit scholarships. Best of luck in the college search/admissions process!